Michael Shoe

Michael

  • A Prompt Template to Generate the Best Result from ChatGPT Deep Research (by ChatGPT)

    For someone too cheap to pay for ChatGPT’s $20/month subscription, I only have fewer than 5 times of deep research each month. And I want to take great advantage of that. So, I asked ChatGPT how to best do it. And here are the results (feel free to copy the prompts).

    Quick principles (what makes a prompt work)

    • Be concrete about the goal. Say exactly what decision or product you want from the research (e.g., “a 2-page investor memo”, “top 10 content ideas with search volumes”, “market sizing for US manufactured homes 2025”).
    • Set the scope & recency. State geography, industries, date range, and whether to use only public sources or proprietary files you’ll attach.
    • Request deliverables & format. Tell me the exact outputs you want (bullet lists, tables, CSV, slide deck, TL;DR + detailed findings).
    • Name constraints and preferences. E.g., prefer academic sources, include news links, avoid paywalled content, or require citations.
    • Tell me how to evaluate success. e.g., “I can act on this without more data” or “I need a reproducible method and data sources.”

    Mandatory pieces for your initial deep-research prompt

    1. Objective — one sentence: what decision/action this supports.
    2. Deliverables — list outputs and formats (e.g., “executive summary (200 words), detailed report, bibliography with links, 1-page action plan”).
    3. Scope & constraints — geography, time period, industries, excluded items.
    4. Priority questions — top 3–6 questions you want answered.
    5. Sources / evidence rules — prefer scholarly, include Google Maps, include X, avoid Y, require citation format.
    6. Data you’ll attach — mention files (CSV, transcripts) and their structure.
    7. Level of depth & tone — high-level + supporting numbers, or step-by-step playbook; tone: investor memo, blog post, technical.
    8. Deadline/recency requirement — “include data up to Aug 2025” (use absolute dates).

    Useful extras (make the product much better)

    • Example audience (VC, content writer, local gov official).
    • Comparable companies or benchmarks to analyze.
    • Keywords / competitors you care about.
    • Metrics you care about (TAM, CAC, LTV, search volume, # of skateparks).
    • Preferred citation style (links inline, numbered list, or endnotes).
    • If you want assumptions listed and sensitivity ranges.

    Templates (copy / paste & fill in)

    Objective: [One sentence — decision this supports]
    Deliverables:
    – Executive summary (150–250 words)
    – Deep report (3–6 pages) answering Qs below
    – 1 excel/CSV with data points and sources
    – 5 tactical recommendations and next steps

    Scope & constraints:
    – Geography: [e.g., US only]
    – Time range: [e.g., 2018–Aug 26, 2025]
    – Sources to prefer: [e.g., gov data, industry reports, Google Maps]
    – Sources to avoid: [e.g., paywalled academic journals]
    – Use only public sources unless I attach files.

    Priority questions:
    1) [Q1]
    2) [Q2]
    3) [Q3]
    (etc.)

    Data attachments: [list files you will upload or paste — format & column names]

    Audience: [e.g., early-stage investors]

    Tone & depth: [e.g., investor memo with numbers and citations]

    Evaluation: I will consider this successful if I can [action you’ll take]

    Other notes / constraints: [e.g., max 2000 words, include top 10 competitors]

    Example — manufactured-home market research

    Objective: Create a 4–5 page executive industry briefing to evaluate whether starting a media + investment research firm focused on manufactured homes is viable.

    Deliverables:
    1. Executive summary (200–300 words)
    2. Detailed report (4–5 pages) covering:
    – Market overview, TAM/SAM/SOM (US, 2025) with sources
    – Value chain mapping (manufacturing, financing, retail, park ownership, aftermarket services)
    – Key players (top 20+ globally and in the US) with revenues, HQ, segments, and 1-sentence differentiation
    – Growth drivers and risks (economic, regulatory, reputational)
    – 3–5 investment or media business opportunities (e.g., newsletters, data products, events, deal origination)
    3. Data table (Excel/CSV) with company list: Name | HQ | Revenue (est.) | Segment | Source link
    4. Action plan: 5 next steps (datasets to buy, contacts, possible first products)
    5. Weakness analysis: 5 assumptions or blind spots to challenge

    Scope & Constraints:
    – Geography: US & Canada, with global context for leading players
    – Timeframe: market data up to Aug 2025
    – Prefer sources: gov data (HUD, Census), industry associations, public filings, reputable industry media
    – Avoid paywalled academic journals unless summaries exist
    – Provide direct links/citations for all claims

    Priority Questions:
    1. What is the size and trajectory of the US manufactured home market (2025)?
    2. Who are the leading players across the value chain?
    3. What are the structural opportunities for a business media + investment research firm?
    4. What regulatory or reputational factors matter most?
    5. What datasets/KPIs would be critical for building data products?

    Audience: Industry practitioners across the manufactured housing value chain, primarily executives (director-level and above) with decision-making and purchasing authority.
    Tone & Depth: Executive industry briefing — authoritative, data-driven, and practical.
    Evaluation: I should be able to use this briefing to (a) understand the market landscape, (b) identify monetizable gaps in industry information, and (c) design a first-step go-to-market for a media/research product.

    Other Notes:
    – Include charts or simple diagrams where useful
    – Use bullet points for clarity in lists

     

  • Breaking Free From the Mastery Mentality

    I’ve always approached learning in a very linear way:

    1. Figure out what I need to know.
    2. Read books or watch videos.
    3. Practice.
    4. Master the skill.

    That formula has worked for me for years. There’s a clear start, a clear end, and a sense of completion.

    But when I started building my own projects, that approach broke down completely.

    Because building isn’t linear—it’s iterative.

    • You Google.
    • You ask ChatGPT.
    • You test something.
    • You break something.
    • You fix it.
    • You repeat.

    And that’s normal. Not knowing is normal. Figuring things out as you go is normal.

    But for me, it’s been incredibly frustrating. I’m used to mastery, not messiness. Even though I’m not programming—I’m just using WordPress—the sheer number of details and unknowns has been overwhelming.

    What I’m slowly realizing is that the first step isn’t about mastery at all. It’s about getting comfortable with not knowing. Accepting that you’ll figure it out along the way.

    Because if you wait until you’re an expert, you’ll never start.

  • Why Being Neutral Backfires When You’re Building Something of Your Own

    For most of my career, I’ve been proud of being unemotional and analytical. It’s served me well as an operator in a 9-to-5 job. I don’t get rattled easily. I don’t get caught up in drama. And more often than not, I don’t have to take a strong stance on things.

    But building my own projects has shown me the downside of this mindset. Suddenly, I have to have opinions.

    • Do I like this UI or not?
    • Is this registration process intuitive or not?
    • Should I keep this button here or move it?

    These are decisions only I can make. And yet, because I’m not an expert in design or UX, I’m tempted to delay them. To wait until I feel more certain.

    But here’s the truth: delaying decisions is the worst decision of all. Projects stall. Momentum dies.

    What I’ve learned is that building isn’t about always being “right.” It’s about being willing to decide, move forward, and adjust later if needed.

    The neutrality that helped me succeed in my career doesn’t serve me here. In building, indecision is more dangerous than being wrong.

  • Be Careful What You Wish For

    As a 9-to-5er, I used to dream about being my own boss. No one telling me what to do, full freedom, working on my own ideas. It sounded perfect.

    Then I actually started building a side project.

    And here’s what I didn’t expect: without a boss, I often didn’t know what to do. Figuring out what to work on, before even doing the work, became a whole job by itself. It was exhausting in a way I never imagined.

    This wasn’t what I signed up for. Not at all.

    It feels like fighting a war with yourself. On one side, there’s the boss version of me—ambitious, focused, wanting results. On the other side, there’s the staff version of me—lazy, easily distracted, always looking for the path of least resistance.

    And if I’m not careful, the staff wins. Every time. Because that’s human nature: we want to do as little as possible, whether we’re working for ourselves or for someone else.

    So what’s the solution? I think it’s about turning that nature into an advantage. Instead of fighting it, I try to use it as a filter. I ask: What are the few tasks that will actually make the biggest difference?

    Then I write them down. I make them non-negotiable.

    Because if I don’t, the “lazy staff” in me will always find a way to avoid them.

    Being your own boss isn’t about freedom—it’s about discipline. The discipline to make the hard choices, stick to them, and hold yourself accountable when no one else will.

  • The Paradox of Parenting: How Kids Steal Your Time and Give You Perspective

    Having kids is a funny thing. On one hand, they eat up every ounce of time you think you have. It’s the easiest excuse in the world—“I didn’t get this done because the kids kept me busy.” And to be honest, it’s not even a bad excuse, because it’s true.

    But just like anything else in life, parenting has two sides. If you only look at the side that drains you, you’ll never get anywhere. The trick is finding the positive.

    For me, I’ve noticed two big things that stand out.

    1. Kids Force Me to Be Strategic With Time

    I didn’t realize this until my kids went away to summer camp. Suddenly, I had all this free time. My first thought was, “Finally! I’ll use this time to dive into my projects and catch up on everything I’ve been putting off.”

    But that’s not what happened. Instead, I found myself watching movies. Doing random stuff. Basically, wasting the time I thought I needed so badly.

    It hit me: it’s not the kids that stop me from working long hours. It’s me. Humans just aren’t built to grind endlessly. If it’s not kids eating my time, it’ll be something else. The only difference is how I feel afterward.

    With kids around, I may not have unlimited time, but my days feel full. Without them, I had all the time in the world and ended up feeling empty. That was a wake-up call.

    2. Kids Change the Way I Make Decisions

    Making decisions is hard. There are always too many angles, and it’s easy to overcomplicate things.

    What I’ve started doing is asking myself one simple question: “What do I want my kids to be like when they grow up?”

    Do I want them to be disciplined? Curious? Resilient? Skilled in certain areas?

    Once I answer that, I try to live it out myself. Because they shouldn’t carry the weight of my unfinished dreams—that’s my job. If I want them to read, I should be reading. If I want them to be disciplined, I should practice discipline. It’s not about telling them what to do, but showing them.

    Wrapping It Up

    So yeah—having kids takes your time, no question. But it also gives you a perspective you can’t get any other way. They make you treat time with more intention, and they give you a simple filter for making decisions that actually matter.

    In a way, parenting doesn’t just shape your kids. It reshapes you.